Astralborne’s style of melodic death metal builds upon a foundation of constantly shifting and swerving riffs, leads, and solos, putting them in league with Kalmah, Vorga, and Aephanemer. Combined with a thick bass and monstrous gutturals, Astralborne sounds every bit as heavy and unrelenting as more murderous acts like Depravity, despite the lack of gore or serrated weaponry. Power metal-inspired gallops, destructive blasts and everything in between spar in perfect sync to drive this record’s biggest hooks home, while deceivingly memorable melodies worm their way into the brain. Before you know it, Across the Aeons leaves you absent-mindedly reciting a varied assortment of leads, choruses, and riffs. At the very least, this insidious phenomenon proves that Astralborne have the talent and the songwriting to make their extra-hefty melodicism work in their favor, allowing the group to stand out amongst a crowded field.
Dismissing the traditional instrumental introduction and conclusion, Across the Aeons whips major sack. Peaking early, Song o’ the Year contender “War Vessel” blasts off with an awesome shred fest before hooking you in with a great little tale of a legendary ship built for death and destruction. Its chorus is simply addicting, hopelessly stuck in my head and evoking the same hyped-up sensation that The Beast of Nod’s “PotRoast the Rhinoman” or “Ripped Off Face II: The Cape of Faces” elicits in my spongy ganglia. Mid-record highlights “Skybreaker” and “Gemini” accomplish great strides in songwriting, as well as late-album standouts “Paradigm Shift,” “The Pillars of Creation,” and the epic “Across the Aeons,” by injecting soaring leads into a churning singularity of pummeling riffs. Full of swagger and vibrancy, these songs shine with a liveliness that calls to my spirit and lifts me up in the very best way. An occasional tender moment led by acoustic plucking (“Paradigm Shift,” “Across the Aeons”) allows some much-needed recovery, if only for a brief moment, providing critical points where each chapter of this fifty-five-minute journey rests before the next one awakens. Furthermore, and to my great surprise, fifty-five minutes feels like the perfect runtime for this record. Across the Aeons’ sheer force and energy output makes the trek feel like a sprint, and by the time closing instrumental “Cadence of Sorrow” fades into nothing, I’m raring for another launch.
While bloat may not be an issue here, memorability and density are, to a certain extent. Across the Aeons is a massively dense record, a nebula of Astralborne’s unrestricted creativity wherein condensed swaths of universally cool ideas fight for a spotlight. Songs like “Nocturneous,” “Promethean Fire,” and “Star of Extinction” push forward in a valiant, but ultimately futile, attempt to secure a permanent slot in memory. Instrumental and compositional prowess abounds, but with so many nifty passages and sinewy transitions to contend with, it’s difficult to capture or appreciate them all—even after revisiting a dozen times. The equally dense and loud production doesn’t help either, compressing everything into an extremely tight, claustrophobic space that makes work out of picking up on little details. All of that, in turn, affects the album’s memorability. While Across the Aeons remains remarkably easy to digest and undeniably fun—especially considering its scope and scale—its best and most memorable songs blow the few weaker ones away. Prioritizing and supporting two or three of the weaker tracks’ strongest ideas, rather than bombarding me with a thousand cool but underdeveloped ones, would’ve resolved that concern.
Don’t let my criticisms deter you from experiencing Across the Aeons, though. Fans of fast-paced and triumphant melodic death revel in interstellar rides like this, and newcomers may find themselves just as enthralled should they give it the opportunity. There’s too much here to explore in just one sitting, but in some ways that’s a boon because it provides an excellent excuse to spin Astralborne’s epic sophomore effort one more time. I know I will!
Rating: Very Good
DR: 51 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records
Websites: astralborne.bandcamp.com| facebook.com/astralborneband
Releases Worldwide: July 28th, 2023
